1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to refrigerating systems or chilling systems, and more particularly, to an apparatus and method for controlling a hot gas bypass valve to eliminate or minimize surge in centrifugal liquid chilling systems.
2. Description of the Related Art
As is generally known, surge or surging is an unstable condition that may occur when compressors, such as centrifugal compressors, are operated at light loads and high pressure ratios. It is a transient phenomenon characterized by high frequency oscillations in pressures and flow, and, in some cases, a complete flow reversal through the compressor. Such surging, if uncontrolled, causes excessive vibrations and may result in permanent compressor damage. Further, surging causes excessive electrical power consumption if the drive device is an electric motor.
It is generally known that a hot gas bypass flow helps avoid surging of the compressor during low-load or partial load conditions. As the cooling load decreases, the requirement for hot gas bypass flow increases. The amount of hot gas bypass flow at a certain load condition is dependent on a number of parameters, including the desired head pressure of the centrifugal compressor. Thus, it is desirable to provide a control system for the hot gas bypass flow that provides optimum control and is responsive to the characteristic of a given centrifugal chiller system.
An hot gas bypass valve control in the prior art is an analog electronic circuit described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,248,055. This prior art control provides as its output a DC voltage signal that is proportional to the required amount of opening of the valve. This prior art method requires calibration at two different chiller operating points at which the compressor just begins to surge. As a consequence of this, a good deal of time is consumed performing the calibration and it requires the assistance of a service technician at the chiller site. Further, variation of flow is necessary for many applications, and therefore, repeated calibration of the control is required. Another disadvantage of the prior art method is that it makes the false assumption that the surge boundary is a straight line. Instead, it is often characterized by a curve that may deviate significantly from a straight line at various operating conditions. As a consequence of this straight line assumption, the hot gas bypass valve may open too much or too little. Opening the valve too much may result in inefficient operation, and opening it too little may result in a surge condition.